


Drive

by CrimeAlley1048



Category: Bat Family - Fandom, Batfamily - Fandom, Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 16:29:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17247575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimeAlley1048/pseuds/CrimeAlley1048
Summary: Bruce and Damian take a drive after an argument





	Drive

They left the city while the sun was still up, passed into the suburbs of Gotham City, then into the New Jersey wilderness. The buildings turned into forest. It was lovely, Bruce thought, and he enjoyed the drive.

Damian did not appear to. What else was new. While Bruce drove, Damian glared out the passenger’s side window, arms crossed, ignoring Bruce completely.

Recent events might have something to do with that.

“I loved long car rides,” Bruce volunteered. “When I was younger.”

Damian briefly looked up, then went back to staring.

“Alfred always offered to chauffeur, but my mother liked to drive. This was her favorite car. We would all pile into it, and she would drive while Father sat where you are now. They talked the whole trip, and I would read comic books in the back.”

No response.

“There’s a stain behind you from the time I spilled a milkshake on the upholstery. I was seven.”

Damian looked behind him, nodded, and went back to his window.

Bruce sighed. “You could look more interested.”

Shrug.

Fine. “When I was eight, I had to stop reading in the car. I would get motion sick. So instead I would stare out the windows and imagine that the people in the car in front of us were enemy spies. I was a spy too, and we were shadowing the car in front of us, and I couldn’t let them see me if we passed them.”

“Other cars might be my personal enemies,” Bruce continued, “coming to track me down. I had saved the world from countless villains, so there were lots of enemies. And then when we arrived at the party— it was almost always a party, whenever we left town together— I would keep up the game.”

Bruce smiled at the memory. “I would find places to hide in the big mansions we went to and watch all the party guests for any sign of suspicious behavior. I would count all the exits and find “escape routes” for when things went sideways. I still do that, though for different reasons.”

Damian nodded again. He probably did the same.

“Sometimes, Father would play with me. I would be the spy, and he would be my contact. I had to make my way to him, across the party, without being seen. Then he would give me clues about made-up plots he had discovered. I always foiled them in the end, usually right before dessert was served. Then I would go back to Mother and Father, and we would eat sweets together while Mother asked about our adventures.”

Damian didn’t respond.

“I can stop if I’m annoying you.”

Damian made a face that said Bruce always annoyed him, but he uncrossed one arm and examined his nails. “Continue.”

“It would be dark on the drive back, and I would fall asleep in the back seat until we reached the McDonalds on the way home. I’ll point it out when we pass. We always bought fries and milkshakes for all three of us, no matter how much we had eaten at the party.”

Damian re-crossed his arms.

“What do you think about while you look out the windows?” Bruce asked him.

“I’m keeping watch.”

“Watch for what?” “Everything. Your childhood fantasies aside, there might be real enemies tracking us. It would be foolish to let down my guard.”

“We’re outside the city, in our civilian identities, on our way to charity event. We’re safe, and if something happens, we can deal with is then.”

“Foolish,” Damian repeated. “Inattention leads to death.”

“You can relax.”

“Mine or an innocent’s.”

“Don’t start.”

“I did what I’m supposed to do!” Damian bust out, continuing their fight from earlier. “I tried to save her life!”

“And if I hadn’t been there, you would have died. Again. For the hundredth time, intentionally getting yourself taken hostage is _not_ an acceptable option.”

“What else was I supposed to do?”

“Not that.”

“See? You don’t have any other ideas either!”

Bruce shivered at the memory of last night: Two-Face dragging a struggling child away from them, Damian’s offer to take her place— his son held at gunpoint while Harvey laughed.

Yes, Damian had been trying to save another child’s life. No, Bruce would never, ever forget the image. And no, Damian would not win this argument.

“You’re already benched for a week,” Bruce reminded him. “Don’t make it longer.”

“I did the right thing.”

“You did not.”

“I did what you would have done.”

“You— are not allowed to sacrifice your life for any reason.”

“You’re not addressing my point.”

“I don’t need to. This is a clear pattern of behavior that I will not tolerate, Damian, and that’s the end of it.”

Damian went back to glaring out the window.

The silence stretched uncomfortably for a minute, five minutes, ten.

“Look,” Bruce said, near the fifteen minute mark, “I just don’t want to— I can’t— lose you again. And I thought it was going to happen. I was terrified.”

Nothing.

“I apologize for yelling. I know you’re trying to do the right thing.”

“I’m doing what you taught me to do. I thought that was what you wanted.”

“I do. What I’m teaching you right now is you cannot compromise your own safety during a fight. If you go down, so do I. What happens to the civilians then?”

“They die.”

“Exactly.” Bruce sighed. “Damian Wayne, I am proud of how hard you work and how selfless you are. But you still have to listen to me and learn. Right now I need you to learn that endangering yourself is bad strategy— and more importantly, your life is worth more to me than any strategic objective. Do you understand?”

Damian considered it. “Yes.”

“Can we stop arguing about this?”

“Fine.”

“Okay. That’s the McDonalds. Do you want to stop?”

“I thought it was traditional to go on the way home?”

“Okay,” Bruce smiled, “On the way home.”


End file.
